Government will not ban vaping in England

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The government has reiterated that electronic cigarette use will not be outlawed in English pubs. The Welsh Assembly recently said it intends to ban vaping in public spaces within 2 years – much to the ire of many pub owners. However, the Department of Health recently announced that it will not implement a similar ban in England. Pub operators will decide whether they will allow vaping in their premises or not. This voluntary approach is preferred by the pub industry instead of a blanket law for all licensed premises. Kate Nicholls, CEO of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, said that there is no reason for a regulated ban because there is no evidence that electronic cigarettes are harmful to a person’s health. A blanket ban in public places would therefore be unneeded and will only “serve to increase the legislative burden placed on pubs and bars”. Ms Nicholls went on to add that that e-cigarette use in licensed premises should be a matter of choice for the operators. The move by Wales has come under sharp criticisms from various quarters, including anti-smoking bodies such as Cancer Research UK and Action on Smoking and Health. They see e-cigs as the best chance that tobacco smokers have to break the habit. The fact that more than 2 million people in the UK have stopped smoking with the help of the devices does not strike a note with the Welsh authorities. Mark Drakeford, the Health Minister for Wales, claims that e-cigarette use is a “gateway” to tobacco, and that the practice will “re-normalise” smoking and erode the gains made so far. This is despite overwhelming evidence showing that those claims are untrue. It’s no wonder the government is being labeled pro-cancer. When the smoking ban came into force in July 2007, many smokers opted to stay at home rather than go to their local pubs. Many pubs were forced to close as a result, and the surviving ones had to diversify by serving food and by becoming more “child-friendly”. Now vaping is bringing back life to the pubs since smokers are returning, this time with their electronic cigarettes. Simply putting a sign outside saying “vaping is allowed” is enough to attract more patrons. On top of helping them to quit the lethal habit, vaping is making smokers feel more wanted and less ostracized by society. Although vaping in pubs is legal in England, Mr. Russell who runs The Campaign for Vaping in Pubs aims to encourage pub operators not to ban vaping within their premises so as to boost their income and to encourage more smokers to quit. “Support vaping, support the British pub culture, help more smokers to quit,” he says.